Name of Park: Dublin Hills Regional Park

Location: Dublin, CA

Trail Hiked: Calaveras Ridge Regional Trail

Distance: 4.28 Miles

 

We are big fans of the East Bay Regional Parks District and  hope to visit every park in the district this year. The first visit for the year was the Dublin Hills Regional Park, located in Dublin, CA. Pulling into the Donlon Point Staging Area, we were a bit skeptical about this hike so close to the freeway and homes. Once you walk past the trail leading to Donlon Point, you leave behind the freeway noise and houses. Our visit was in the winter so the hills were nice and green, unlike the usual dried grass throughout the rest of the year. There isn’t much wildlife on the trail except for cows grazing or chilling in the sun.

The trail is mostly easy with an elevation gain of  700+ ft. It had rained a couple of days prior to our visit so there were some muddy spots but be on the lookout for cow droppings. Somehow the cows recognize the designated trail and seem to leave their droppings right on it. Or perhaps it’s because there isn’t much grass on the trail. This is an out and back trail and we stopped by Donlon Point on our way back to the car which has a nice view of 580. When we went it was a clear day so we could see out to the Altamont Pass, Mt. Diablo and even some glimpses of San Francisco.

We had gone in the late morning around 11AM and the trail was not too crowded. This might have been impacted by the rain a few days earlier. Overall an accessible park and easy hike that we would recommend if you live nearby.